Rampage!

One of the most successful teams in the league's history, Rampage! opened Season I with six consecutive wins that saw them storm to the lead of Division B and never relinquish first place. Headlined initially by sensational throwerSessrumnir, the team was joined after a few weeks by the catcher Niflheimr, a scoring combination that was to terrorise end zones for three seasons. Their dominance was underlined by the four players they contributed to that season's All-Star match, a 3-1 shoeing of a shellshocked Division A side. The team were perhaps never quite so dominant again, and after All-Star Week they suffered their first defeat at the hands of an outraged Mike the Mauler and a powerful Styx Rivermen side. They remained formidable for the remainder of the season, and qualified for the playoffs at a canter, only to be eliminated, after one of the best matches the league had seen, by The Trees in a dramatic overtime finish in the first round.

Season II saw a marginal decline in the team's rushing prowess, although both Sessrumnir and Niflheimr made the All-Star roster again, this time accompanied by werewolf Mánagarmr. Instead, the team developed their physical game, spearheaded by their fearsome werewolf duo Mánagarmr and Lyngvi, ably supported by the fearsome blitzers Folkvang and Valaskjalf. The Norsemen again cruised to the playoffs, where they were matched against the Red Sabres. Sessrumnir, who until that point had had a relatively quiet season by his own standards, played arguably the game of his career in scoring one against one of the tighter defences in the league, and set up a second touchdown, only for Niflheimr to fumble a catch at a critical moment. The team were again eliminated in the first round, never having won a knockout fixture.

With the team finding it increasingly difficult to break down developed defences, snkls decided to give Rampage! one more run for Season III. Placed in the most competitive division, alongside long-term rivals the Fancy Lads and Red Sabres, together with the physical powerhouses Hellbug's Heroes and arguably the best scoring side in the league in The Johnnys' Quest, qualification was always going to be tough. The team had something of a new look, too, with injuries having ended Valaskjalf's career and some veteran linemen also missing. Sessrumnir rose to the challenge admirably, matching his first-season rushing total, but the curious diffidence of Niflheimr cost the team heavily, as he scored only three touchdowns all season. Both players were elected to the All-Star squad again, making them two of only three players to play in every All-Star match to date, but progress was apparently too slow for their owner and snkls vanished in the second half of the season during one of the brief periods of hiatus. In his absence, Rampage! continued, and, after a couple of weeks in the doldrums, raised their game to the point where a playoff spot was genuinely on the cards. It was not to be. In the final week, Rampage! fluffed their lines, and succumbed to the journeyman offence of the orphaned Invisible Assassin to end their cup dreams.

With the team defeated and low on treasury funds, and their owner absent, it seems likely that the league has seen the last of Rampage! in their current form, but there has been talk of purchasing the name for a new franchise, and it's hard to believe that none of their quality players will ever find employment again. Whatever the future holds, the surviving players of Rampage! can look back on their record to date with pride.